Index Astartes: The Blood Dragon Space Marines
by Jo Ward
Summary: Part 1 of an Index Astartes style article on the Blood Dragons, a cursed founding Space Marine Chapter


**Chapter: **Blood Dragons

**Founding: **21st (cursed founding)

**Founding legion/chapter: **thought to be the salamanders, however this is just on the chapters attitudes to the planets populace, i.e. they interact fairly extensively with the populace.

**Chapter symbol and color: **A Dragon either with outspread wings or entwined around a sword, Dark red armor with Dark purple Trim

**Home world: **Vidian Sub Sector, half way between the dead world of Doton and the Tau Empire large number of planets inc several smaller planetoids, Vidian 4 is a recruiting world for the Vidian Imperial guard regiment, the planet is temperate with many cities spread across it. The Mechanicus has also got a minor forge world in sector and this fact has in some cases caused problems with the Blood Dragons especially due to their orignal reluctance to provide gene seed data. The Blood Dragons home world itself Fernus, is a mountainous planet only slightly further out from the star than Vidian 4. Fernus is covered in mountains and plains, the peoples are hardy pre feudal people, divided into the mountain people and the plains people, although they share religious beliefs in the god emperor and his presence in their lives as a spirit form. Uniquely amongst the Astartes the Ministorum recruit priests from the people of the world especially from monasteries in the mountains and the shamans of the plains. It maybe this fact that has kept the Ecclesiarchy from directly criticizing the Blood Dragons, for some of their actions regarding gene seed.

**Doctrines/combat style:** Interestingly it depends on the company commanders, but often uses combination of lighting drops from Thunderhawks and deep infiltrations via drop pods and Thunderhawks, accompanied by land speeder support. Close combat can often seem to be over fielded amongst some companies, and on many occasions Blood Dragon forces have charged headlong at their enemies when many more tactful forces would have used consolidating advances

**Background: **Chapters which weres founded during the 21st founding are known as the cursed founding, during which the mechanicus and others tampered with the gene seed used during the creation of the chapters... Exactly what was done is unknown, however judging from accounts not all the chapters were as affected in the same way or to the same extents. The Blood Dragons seem to share similarities with the Black dragons, as they share the ossirific bone growth on the forearms and head. As well as this though, some of the oldest members of the chapter display an extension of the standard Astartes rib fusing, adding to their already legendary resilience.

These obvious divergences from the standard growth of space marines has led, like the Black dragons, to the chapter having difficulties with other imperial forces and authorities. Although the Blood Dragons at first seem to share the Black Dragons hostility to any investigation, in recent years under their latest Chapter master Karl'Yarson, they appear to have been actively trying to find a solution working closely with the Adeptus Mechanicus Biologis on Vidian Primus forge-world and have sent 10 of their gene stock rather than the standard 5.

The Blood Dragons have only taken part in one major campaign, the 13th black Crusade. Their lack of major campaigning action is due to severe damage the chapter suffered during the period known as Vidian Sector war. This conflict which saw massive Necron activity in the system led to the complete desolation of the outer 3 planets of the system. Although 2 of the planets were scarcely populated Vidian 8 was a hive world and the entire population was slaughtered. During the final days of the war it came down to the blood Dragons along with remnants of PDF, Vidian regiments on leave and even the skitarii and tank regiments of the Mechanicuus to hold the system. The system was close to complete destruction when part of the crusading fleet sent to deal with the Cult of the Deep ones rebellion, intercepted a refugee convoy and diverted to the support of the Beleaguered Blood Dragons . Although the system was saved, the Blood Dragons were ravaged, their chapter strength had dropped to less than 3 companies and the chapter master himself had been killed in combat as had all but 2 of the company commanders. The chapter had also lost one of the 2 orbital defense fortresses and the 2nd was heavily damage and crippled.

The next 2 hundred years saw the chapter rebuilding its forces, and after this the chapter ended up have to perform many of the defense and combat duties in the sub sector until the Mechanicus Skitarii had its full compliment of armor replaced and the Legio - Garus titan legion repaired. The chapter was however involved in preventing pirate raiding by both renegades and Dark Eldar. They were supported in these duties by various chapters who had been part of relief forces, this has led to close ties between the Blood Dragons, the White Scars and Night Watch.

it is worth noting the chapter at present tends to field less amour and seems to only posses a limited number of terminator suits its likely that the chapter has still not recovered fully from the Vidian War


End file.
